Sweet snowmen cake pops

How about whipping up a few Frostys of your own?This recipe from Bakerella’s new books,
Cake Pops: Tips, Tricks and Recipes for More than 40 Irresistible Mini
Treats, uses cake balls—bite sized balls of
crumbled cake covered in a candy coating—as the base of a truly heart-warming
treat.

Read the entire recipe before you get cookin’!

Make the basic cake balls (makes 48)

What you’ll need:

18.25-ounce box cake mix

9-by-13-inch cake pan

Large mixing bowl

One 16-ounce container ready-made frosting

Large metal spoon

Wax paper

2 baking sheets

Plastic wrap

32 ounces (2 pounds) candy coating

Deep, microwave-safe plastic bowl

Toothpicks

Resealable plastic bag or squeeze bottle (optional)

What you’ll do:

1. Bake the cake as directed on the box, using a
9-by-13-inch cake pan. Let cool completely. Once the cake is cooled, get
organized and set aside plenty of time (at least an hour) to crumble, roll, and
dip 4 dozen cake balls.

2. Crumble the cooled cake into a large mixing bowl.

3. Add three-quarters of the container of frosting. (You
will not need the remaining frosting.) Mix it into the crumbled cake until
thoroughly combined.

4. Roll the crumbly mixture into pear-shaped balls about 1 ½
inches in diameter. Place the balls on a wax paper-covered baking sheet. Use
one with sides so the balls don’t roll off!

5. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for several hours in
the refrigerator, or place in the freezer for about 15 minutes. You want the
balls to be firm but not frozen.

You can make the cake balls ahead of time and store them
in an airtight container on the counter or in the refrigerator for several
days.

If you don’t need or want to make 48 cake balls, simply
divide the cake in half for 24 cake balls or in quarters for 12 and freeze the
remaining cake for later use. Remember to reduce the amount of frosting
proportionally.

1. Melt the white candy coating in a microwave-safe plastic
bowl, following the instructions on the package. The coating should be about 3
inches deep for easier dipping.

2. When you are ready to dip, remove a few cake balls at a
time from the refrigerator, keeping the rest chilled.

3. One at a time, dip about ½-inch of the tip of a lollipop
stick into the melted candy coating, and insert the stick straight into the
bottom side of a snowman body, pushing it no more than halfway through. Dip the
cake pop into the melted coating, and tap off any excess coating.

4. While the coating is still wet, attach a sunflower seed
in position for the nose and 2 chocolate jimmies in position for the arms. Hold
each in place for a few seconds until the candy coating sets like glue, and
place in a Styrofoam block to dry. Repeat until all the snowmen have noses and
arms.

5. When the pops are dry, use a toothpick to dot a small
amount of melted candy coating in position for buttons, and attach 3 blue
confetti sprinkles to each snowman.

6. Draw on eyes and a dotted smile with an edible-ink pen
and let dry completely in a Styrofoam block.

7. Pour the remaining melted coating into a small squeeze
bottle. Squeeze a small amount onto the very top of a snowman’s head. Attach 1
chocolate cookie. Squeeze another small amount of coating in the center opening
of the cookie. Push 1 chocolate chip, pointed side down, into the center. As you
push, the melted candy coating will be forced up the side, giving you a white
rim for the hat.